The World on Her Shoulders
by Ukeire
Summary: A simple high school story, told through the eyes of a heartbroken teen. Read, as she is whisked away on a roller coaster of who she pretends to be, and who she really is. [SasuSaku]
1. Ukeire?

Disclaimer: Don't own them. But… This is for the people who actually read this… K.A.Y. K is the bad boy. A is the goody two shoes. Y is the skater. K and Y are good friends. They both love skating. K and A make the past and present, the dark and light. Y is the twilight, both new and old. What to do?

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Acceptance is something everyone wants.

But did you know… that Ukeire means acceptance?

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The ball bounced onto the court with a pong. The yellow tennis ball came back to me, and I caught it. My special necklace glimmered in the sun.

My hair, the one both Ino and Karin used to covet, was covered by my usual hood, and bandana. My eyes were shielded by unneeded glasses, and body hidden by baggy clothes that rivaled even Kunaitsu Tenten, who currently wears only short shorts and belly-button showing tank tops.

It was an ordinary day, the sun was shining, birds were singing, the courts were clean, and I was gagging. It was a pretty day where EVERYTHING was happy. Even more, school was starting back up in a few weeks. Just more to add to my ever-growing misery.

Of course, I was secretly playing tennis. I didn't want anyone to know the invisible girl played, or that she played _WELL_, or that she played so well she had hundreds of trophies in her room, stashed under some towels in her unused closet.

I sighed, thinking it was just going to be another day of solitude, but boy, was I wrong. Because… That was the day I met Herupu Ukeire. A girl that was all smiles and laughter. The girl who knew the true meaning of accepting the unknown, and diving right in.

A girl with long black hair, black eyes, creamy tan skin, and a crazy sense of humor. A girl with a smile on her face, a laugh, tears, a frown, or some sort of feeling on it.

The girl with a streak of red in her hair that covered her right eye, the girl who parted her hair to the WAY right, the girl who wore a leather bracelet on her right wrist, and a charm bracelet wrapped around an elastic hair band on the left, and the girl who had a small kimono girl, a symbol for love, and a fan, on three different necklaces. (a/n in reality, it's a Uchiha fan :D)

She was… Ukeire.

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"Wants some Dots™?" Ukeire held out a box of the things, happily chewing on one. I shook my head, and she went back to munching. "Are you sure? You seem down." she tilted her head, her streak of red matching the sunset.

She has been coming to the courts for almost two weeks now, and hasn't left me alone since. At first, I was irritated, but she attached herself like a baby koala, and didn't let go. I guess… she kinda grew on me for the time we spent together. She was a weird character, very emotional. She reminded me of- I shook my head, not wanting to get back to that.

"Nah, thanks for offering, Ukeire." I turned away, and went back to writing in my portfolio/diary thing.

_I saw Sasuke with Kraken again. Of course, no one noticed me staring at them, so I saw their entire make out session… again. Am I really that unnoticeable? I mean, Kraken, I mean, KARIN was one my best friends! She knows I like him! How could she do this to me?!_

"Are you REALLY sure you don't one?" she held a pink and red one in front of my face. My eyes narrowed on them. "They always make ME feel better when I'm not doing so well." she smiled that all-too-famous smile.

I looked at her, with one of my pathetic smiles, and took the two Dots from her hand. She always did know how to make me feel better. Which was strange, because no one ever cared about my thoughts. I made a face of scorn for a second. People could be so selfish. We label people too easily.

"Thanks. How'd you know I like the pink and red ones?" I asked. She shrugged like she usually did when she didn't want to answer a question.

"I guessed." she said plainly. "Your favorite colors are all warm ones. You like yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, but reds and pinks are your favorites cuz you wear them every time we're together." she nudged me in the ribs.

"…oh…" I looked at my portfolio, or technically my diary. It was filled with notebook paper, some recent, some more than 12 years old. The white cover was covered in my doodles, and a few notes I had written to myself whenever I got to reading it.

"Hey!" she waved her hand in front of my eyes. "Sorry if you took that wrong. All I'm saying is that you like warm colors, so I just thought maybe you'd like them better…"

I cracked another one of my sad smiles, the ones where no teeth show, and my lips barely go up. Ukeire sighed at it, and said, "Sakura, why don't you smile?"

"I do smile! I just did!" I protested, "Just because it isn't as big as yours-" She looked at me. I flinched inwardly under the stare/glare.

"No, that's a 'I'll just smile cuz I'm a sad person' smile. You've never really smiled when I'm here…" she gasped. "IT'S ME, ISN'T IT?! OH MY GOD, IT'S ME! CRUD! THIS ISN'T GOOD! NO GOOD AT ALL! CRAP!" she stood up, and began squirting cuss words all over, and screaming like she was on fire. But for a second, I thought, _I guess I'm not as good at hiding my emotions as Him. But a plain ol' smile couldn't reveal that much… right?_ Snapping back to the screaming Ukeire, I tried to allay her.

"Ukeire! Ukeire, calm down, it's not you!" I tugged at her jean pant leg, and she blew her cheeks up using her breath. Sitting back down she grinned.

"Oh! That's good then. If it were me, I'd be really sad."

"Why? It's just a smile."

Ukeire gasped again. '_Fuck.' _I thought.

"JUST A SMILE?! SAKURA, A SMILE IS NOT JUST A SMILE! SMILES ARE IMPORTANT, NO MATTER WHAT! THEY SHOW THAT YOU'RE HAPPY! THAT YOU'RE HUMAN! THAT YOU CAN LAUGH, AND ACTUALLY HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR, UNLIKE ME, WHO JUST LAUGHS AT ANYTHING!" she shouted, standing once more. "…" I stayed silent. She just looked at me again, and slumped back onto the courts with 'Poop. Stupid, stubborn…' she mumbled.

"Anyway, I better go. It's almost six, and I have school…" as I got up, and gathered my things, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned, and looked into Ukeire's black, with a hint of brown, eyes.

"Hey… Sakura, could you… tell me about your school?" she asked. Surprised, I just stared at her. She looked at me, and pouted. "Hey, are you just gonna eye me like candy, or are you going to do something? Sit!" she pulled harder on my sleeve, and forced me down.

"Fine. Just don't laugh, okay?"

"Deal." she said seriously, and put her feet together, her hands on top of them, ready to listen.

"Alright… where to begin?" I scratched my head. "Well, first of all, I go to Konohagakure no Sato High School. I'm what you call, Invisible. I barely have any friends at school. I have an A plus in every class, even P.E. But hell, no one gives a fuck about that! I basically…"

"Sit in the back, doing zip like a good-for-nothing." Ukeire said flatly. I glared at her, softened into a sigh of saddening defeat. "I'm right, aren't I."

It wasn't even a fucking question, GOD DAMN IT! Give the unpopular girl some slack! But no! she gave me a STATEMENT! "Well… yeah." I said sadly. She nodded.

"Tell me more. You seemed troubled about this." and I did. It had been so long, since I had someone to talk to…

"My name is Haruno Sakura, and I am 17 years old. I am the youngest daughter of a business tycoon, who is also a widower. I have two VERY popular, and successful sisters, Haruno Natsumi and Fujiko. I'm always over-shadowed, so I'm not very popular, or known for that matter.

"Even though I love my sisters, I can't help but be jealous!

"That, and my so-called, 'friends'. Most of them used me to get to my sisters, who are constantly giving me pity parties. My only true friends deserted me, for my crush, or for another boy! They never look at me anymore! It's like I'm nothing!

"My father's never home. I moved out last month, and he didn't even notice until last week! He only cares about my sisters, his company, and his so-to-be wife. He only visits me to say hi! I know he cares about me, HELL, he's sent so many stylists, but seeing him once every three months, ain't too good!

"Doesn't even realize the looks his fiancée gives me! She looks at me like I'm a rag! And my father may not notice, but I've seen the cutbacks on my monthly check. I've had to work for my money! My father has _millions_, and can get more within a second! And me? I have to work at café at minimum wage! All she wants from my dad is MONEY, but my family is blind to it!

"Back to school. I'm a genius, and I know my looks aren't doing anything for it! I get bullied everyday, and no one even tries to stop it. And better yet, I get bullied by my so-called, BEST friends' BOYFRIENDS. I even have a crush on one! I have bruises all over me!" I cried, my face dry, and longing.

"My family is rarely there, each and every one of them pities me, my father's getting married to a bitch, and I'm barely getting by! My friends all left me for a bunch of BOYS, who also bully me, my very EX-best friends used to, or ARE dating my crush of 12 years, and they never talk to me anymore! I'm invisible to EVERYONE, despite my grades, and my looks, and… and…" I looked away, not a single trace of tears on my face.

_Because there's nothing left…_

"And?" Ukeire said from behind me. I faced her and whispered loud enough for only her to hear:

"_I feel like there's no one I can truly trust not to look down at me, or someone I can turn to."_

Ukeire looked at me. Her gaze was filled with mixed emotions. Her lips went from a frown, to a lovely smile.

"Well, you've got me." she grinned, then patted my head. "I'll be someone to trust and turn to if you want."

I bore my glasses clad eyes into hers. She was offering to someone like me? "But… you reputation at your school…"

"School?!" she laughed. "I go to a very crazy school, where you learn non-stop, then get a huge break off. I have a year off after going to school for 10 months straight, so I have plenty of damage-free reputation for you. Not to mention my status."

"Status…?" I asked softly. She nodded.

"Yeah. Right now, my grade level is that of a four year college graduate. I'm just waiting for this year to end so I can go to professional school." she grinned again, then laughed some more.

"…You don't look it." I grumble, and she laughed harder.

"And you don't look like the beauty you're supposed to be." she looked at me in the eye, before reaching out, and fingering my glasses. "I mean, c'mon! you don't even need these, huh?"

I backed up, and shock ran through my mind. "How-" I touched my face.

"I have glasses too." she gently removed my glasses, and I blinked as she stared at me. Her black eyes shimmered, deeply reminding me of a boy I had a life long crush on. Their eyes were similar color, but different depth, I concluded. Hers were swimming in light, making me drown in emotions, and just feel happy. But, HIS, were… I was interrupted by Ukeire's voice. "Wow… you have the prettiest green eyes I've ever seen…"

I looked down at the green ground. The court was warm with the night, and soothing sounds of crickets made their way around. I stared at my oversized sleeves.

"Ya know, I had that problem too. The inability to trust." I eyed her. She was sitting in a reclined position, looking out into space, very much like Nara Shikamaru, Ino's current boyfriend. The bruise on my leg reacted, and I cringed.

"It's hard. You want to trust, but you're afraid of getting hurt again. There are secrets inside you wanna release, but they're so precious, that if they were told to anyone other than the person you told, you'd die inside. You feel like if you told anyone, they'd betray you in a hot second." her eyes landed on me, a look of pain in them. "You feel… hurt, because you think you're alone. But… you know what they say…" she looked up for a small second, then back to me.

"Trust is hard to build, but easy to break." she breathed. I just stared softly. She understood. But… did I really want Ukeire the one to trust? I only knew her for a few weeks. I knew I had to be ready to trust.

"Hey… Ukeire?" I spoke in a hush tone. "Can I trust you?" my eyes got covered by my bangs.

"Of course. But the real question is…" she took off my hood, and I looked at her. "Are you ready to trust?"

My eyes widened before softening into my sad smile. "Of course." I repeated. She smiled.

"Then, I have an idea. Sakura, this is a beginning of a beautiful friendship. Friends?" she held out her hand. I looked at it, then smirked back at her.

I took confidently, and said, "Friends." and I gave it a good, firm shake.

But little did I know, that once I took that hand, I would be sent into an unforgettable ride for what who I pretend to be… and who I really am.

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Wow. Done. This is probably going to be a sad one, people.

Okay,

_**Summary of a Sakura**_

-Sakura never knew her mother.

-Sakura has a father getting married to a bitch in disguise.

-Sakura has two popular sisters who unintentionally over-shadow her, but pity her willingly.

-Sakura's so-to-be 'mother' only wants Sakura's father's money.

-Sakura had four other friends (Karin, Ino, -who were the closet to Sakura- Tenten, and Hinata) who abandoned her for their boyfriends.

-Sakura gets bullied by her old friends' boyfriends.

-Sakura has a crush on one of them (Sasuke), even though he's a bully.

-Sakura watches her crush and one of her two closest friends make out with him. (Sasuke and Karin)

-Sakura is never looked at by her old friends anymore.

-Sakura works at a tiny café for money, when her father has millions.

-Sakura has trust issues due to her friends.

-Sakura has bruises all over, preventing her from wearing NOT baggy clothing.

-Sakura is beautiful, smart, and kind, but is never noticed.

-Sakura plays tennis like a pro, but her friends never knew. She has several trophies in her (Unused) closet.

-Sakura hides herself due to self-consciousness.

-Ukeire is part of the story. Yes, the description is similar, but not exact. Lol

And forgive me people who like my story, Virtual Reality, but I'm going to delete it soon. That, and Fight For It. I'm sorry, but if you think otherwise, please tell me.

-Ukeire&Ssl-


	2. Doctor?

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Even if I did, everything in this thing wouldn't exist, and I'd be making millions.

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Everyone needs just a little bit of help.

And Herupu gave it to me.

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"OH SAKURAAAAA!" I froze. _Oh no…_ I head made little rusty noises as I turned my head. And there, running towards me, was something. Something… _something _**STRANGE!**

"UKEI-UGH!" I was tackled to the ground with a whopping 116 lbs. "Ukeire…" I choked, my glasses almost broken. "Get the hell off, my glasses…"

It had finally come to the last week of Summer (and the beginning of my evil nightmare), and Ukeire (the epitome of evilness, as I have found out in the few weeks I've known her) has a few… _ideas_ up her sleeves (which I have a feeling her ideas are always bad, and ill planned, but what's the worse that could happen?…) that she had apparently made just for _me_ (which is making me feel even worse than I already feel).

But somehow Ukeire had found my phone number ("Okay, so maybe I had to break a few codes, -and a few laws-, but you don't need to worry your little head about it!"… that's what **she** said), and had called me at about 12:00 midnight last night, screaming at the top of her lungs:

'SAKURA CHAAAAAN! WAKE UP! YOU AND I ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING TOGETHER TOMORROW EVEN IF IT KILLS US! MEET ME AT THE TENNIS COURTS AT 7:00 AM, OKAY?! OKAY! BYE! LATER! CIAO! SAYONARA! GOODNIGHT! HOPE TO SEE YOU/click/'

And the entire time, I hadn't even moved an inch from pressing the 'Talk' button on my iPhone.

Anyway, back to my current problem: Ukeire seems to like the fact that my baggy clothes make excellent pillows.

"Ukeire, please get off. My glasses are gonna break…" I repeated, and she just squeezed me like a teddy bear.

"Aw! But you're so soft! Oh well, c'mon! we're gonna be late for your appointment!" she said and, getting up like nothing happened, was a jogging in place. She started punching the air with both fists, reminding me of Lee before he graduated last year, along with Sabaku no Temari.

(a/n making Tenten and Neji the same age as Sakura, Ino, etc…)

As I registered what she had just said, I practically screamed "BLOODY MURDER! BLOODY!", when she began pulling me by my wrist towards town. Town. There were people there. People who would stare. Staring at me. Me, being the outcast. Outcast, meaning not good. Not good meaning, I shouldn't go there. I shouldn't go there meant I had to stop the incredible force called 'Ukeire's Typhoon'. _Crap_.

"Where are we going?!" I shouted as Ukeire ran faster. She laughed, and put a finger to her lips. Fuck, she wasn't telling.

"I'm not tellin'! Besides, you're smart! You already know where we're going!" she laughed the rest of the way to town, where we slowed down to a walk.

Konoha, a district in Tokyo, on the island of Honshu, was a small thing, with the population of 7,000. Most Japanese towns had at least 10,000, but Konoha was over-populated as it was. I was born and raised here, so I knew exactly the place Ukeire was dragging me to: the dermatologist. Which was a doctor. Who worked with other doctors. Other doctors meaning more doctors. No.

"Oh, no!" I turned around. "NO, you are NOT, taking me to that place!" I began running the opposite direction. "NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" I screamed, and Ukeire just pulled harder.

"Ah, c'mon! it's not that bad! Besides, how do you know it's THAT doctor we're going to?" she chirped. I screamed for mercy, but she gave none.

As you can see, I HATE (_**HATE**_) doctors. Absolutely scared of them for life. Permanent phobia of the things. Except for my maybe my general health doctor (Tsunade sama) or my school nurse, (Shizune) I undoubtedly REFUSE to go to a doctor. Even if they're as gentle and kind as a FLUFFY BUNNY, I.WILL.NOT.GO.

"I DON'T CAAAAARRRRE! IT'S THE SAME THING! THEY'RE ALL DOCTORS! THEY HAVE POINTY THINGS! THEY LOOK AT BLOOD! THEY TELL YOU THE WORST OF NEWS! THEY CAN DO THINGS TO YOU THAT CAN TURN YOU INTO A HYBRID, LIKE THAT AMERICAN NOVEL, MAXIMUM RIDE™!" I screamed even louder, earning me a few concerned faces, and a few that said, 'Is she going back to the mental asylum?'

Ukeire just slapped me upside the head. "Ah, get over it! I made an appointment for you, and that's that!" she huffed, and I went limp, realizing it was futile for me to struggle. Anime tears fell down my face, as she turned into a small shopping center, and walked towards an even smaller doctor… thing… uh… place. Wah…

"Wahhh…" I whined softly, as she opened the door, causing the bell on top of it to ring. "GRAMPS!" Ukeire shouted into the small waiting room. The place was white (I seriously hate the colors red and white. Yes, a very DEEP hatred for them…)

"Oh! Good morning Herupu san!" an elderly man came out, a file in hand. He had a white lab coat on, and clear oval glasses, his eyes shining with kindness and wisdom. His name tag said, 'Dr. Sarutobi, 50 years of private practice'. I looked at him, and the only thing that came to mind was the following:

Run. And run like hell.

"AHHHHHHHHH! NO, I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH MEEEEEEE!" I yelled, and ran for the door. Unfortunately, Ukeire was gifted with longer legs, and grabbed my collar, causing me to fall on my ass. Crying more tears, I was dragged into another room, the old man singing a happy tune, Ukeire following along.

"Sakura chan, why do you hate the doctors so much? They're people just like you, just with a few more years of schooling…" she said, looking down at me. I blinked, and hissed, "It's personal."

She sighed. "You seriously have trust issues, huh?" I glared at her, using every fiber of my fucking being to give her my point. "Yeah… you do. God, you're gonna be a tough nut to crack, ya know that?" I growled.

"My, my, you ladies seem to be having fun." 'Dr. Sarutobi' said happily, making me wanna choke him to death. I took a deep breath, and _desperately_ tried to ignore the fact that I was _in_ a doctor's **office**. Or the fact it was a _**dermatologist**_'_**s**_ _**office**_. Or the fact he might cut into me, and make me some sort of freak (which I won't deny I already am a freak) hybrid! Oh crap, he might even inject that stuff from that other American novel, The Giver™, so I can be released! I DON'T WANNA DIE!

"…before I scream, please tell me why I'm here… Sarutobi san…" I croaked. He just pat my hair, and looked at me. I slowly raised my head to look at him, and to my surprise…

He was smiling.

"Thought I'd never see the day when a Haruno girl would return to my office. After your sisters left me for 'better' doctors, I assumed you would too. Ah, I hope the others take decent care of you once I'm done…" he tapped his chin. I froze. _Others?_

"…" I opened my mouth, but Ukeire clamped it shut, and grinned.

"Don't scare her." she said flatly. Sarutobi laughed, and nodded.

"I understand. A lot of people don't like it here, but don't worry, the doctors here are nothing but the best this hole in the wall can afford." he smiled, and directed himself at Ukeire. "You can take your hand off her now." she complied.

"Wha-Wha… What are you going to do to me?" I whispered, as he came up close to my face. He blinked a few times in confusion they smile softly.

"I'm a dermatologist. I'm looking at your skin. You might want to remove your sweatshirt, and…" he eyed my baggy, torn up jeans, then my glasses, "…just leave your under garments on. I need to see how bad your condition is. Ukeire san here told me it was pretty bad." I shot a look at Ukeire, who was motioning me to do as told. I blushed.

(a/n Okay, number one, don't be sending me reviews saying Sarutobi is a pervert. I don't want them, and I think I might be allergic to the damn things. Besides, what underneath the clothes might shock you…)

"U-U-Um…" I looked at the floor, my face beet red. Sarutobi just stood there, waiting for me to strip down, but I didn't move an inch. I gave Ukeire another look. She seemed to have got the idea, and faced the (I'm telling you, I do not like this word!) doctor.

"OUT!" she shouted, shooing Sarutobi out of the room. Confused again, he just let her push him out of his examination room, and into the hallway. With a click of the button, she locked the door, and waved 'bye bye', as she followed the old man out, leaving me alone. I took a sigh of relief.

My body wasn't exactly what you call 'beautiful', but I was satisfied with it. I looked down at myself in the mirror in the room.

Ever since middle school, the mirrors in my apartment have always been covered by something: clothes, blankets, or even books. Every time I looked at myself, I always felt sick. There was just this feeling in the pit of my stomach, that told me not to look. Everywhere I saw a reflection of me, I always saw someone else, or better yet… I always saw no one else. There was no me in the mirror, just a mess of used to be me.

With those thoughts, I took a mental picture of myself and, carefully avoiding any bruises, started removing my gray sweatshirt.

I was wearing an aqua blue long sleeve shirt underneath. I looked drowned in it, but I felt so happy with it on. With another sigh, I took that off too. I slipped my glasses into their case, and placed them with the rest of my stuff on the counter.

I kicked my jeans off my legs, causing the belt on it to flick at one of my purple pains. I yelped silently with pain, hunching over to cover the wound. I stood still for a minute. And with that, time froze as well. My eyes were glued to the mirror on the wall, and the figure that stood in it.

In the mirror, was actually… me. Though beat up, me.

I smiled to myself. It turned into a frown the second I saw it in the mirror. No wonder Ukeire didn't like it, she was right: it didn't look like a smile. I shook my head away from those words. I really didn't need to those words NOW of all times.

I placed my pants on the counter with my stuff, and opened the door, along with the lock, to see Ukeire and the doctor laughing. I poked my head out all the way, making sure my body wasn't seen. They both saw me, and smiled at me.

"Done?" they said in unison. I flushed, and nodded, withdrawing into the room to make room for them to come in. As the two came in, Ukeire screamed.

"OH MY GOD!" she backed up to the wall behind her, her hand on her forehead. "Sakura! You-"

"My good god…" Sarutobi walked up to me, and analyzed my body like the doctor he was. I didn't see anything wrong with my skin, but they thought otherwise. "Sakura san… please, tell me… who did this damage to you? You have the right to sue them!"

I absorbed the information. Sue? Why would I wanna sue Sasuke and his friends? Ukeire stepped in, angry fumes going everywhere.

"SUE THEM?! SUE THEM?! NO, THEY DON'T DESERVE THAT!" she screamed at the man, earning a gentle, and shocked expression from him, "THEY DESERVE TO DIE! I MEAN, LOOK AT HER! SHE HAS BRUISES EVERYWHERE! NOT TO MENTION THIS!" she pointed to my lower abdomen. I looked down at it, and my eyes widened. Why hadn't I noticed THAT before?

There, staining my skin as if it was a disease, was one large cut with a scab over it. It was turning yellow around it, and puss was oozing over the reddish brown scab, along with a small amount of blood. It was repulsive, and I was shocked (more like disgusted) for why it was there, and how come I couldn't feel it one bit. But what hurt the most… was the blood. It's smell filled my senses, and soon, I felt numb.

"Oh my…" then suddenly, my world went black.

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"Sakura… wake up! C'mon, please? Yeah, that's it! Just follow the sound of my voice." my eyes cracked open to see a bright from above. I saw two fuzzy figures, their faces unclear.

"Is she awake?" another voice said. I saw the first figure nod.

"Yeah, but did you have to bring the others into it? Sure, she looks spick-and-span, but, how is she going to pay for it?" the figure asked.

"Ah, don't worry. She won't. This was on the house!" I opened my eyes all the way, and let my eyes adjust. "Oh! Sakura san, welcome back to the land of the living!"

I rubbed my eyes, and whispered, "What happened?" there was a pregnant pause, and I swore I felt the other two staring at each other, having a war on who the hell was going to tell me what the fuck was going on. Ukeire and Sarutobi, apparently the blurry figures, seemed… nervous

"Ugh, fine…" Sarutobi, who lost to Ukeire grinning face, groaned. He faced me, and slightly grimaced. "Sakura… while you were out cold, me and few… _other_ doctors went into surgery. Your abdomen was highly infected with bacteria, and was filled with glass shards! I'm not sure why, but… your body numbed it, I suppose. Never in my 50 years have I seen that before. Tell me, Sakura san… do you experience _pain_ often?" he questioned.

I gulped, and felt cold sweat roll down my face. The two just eyed me. I looked down at my lap, and choked out in a soft whisper, "Y-Y-Yes. I do."

He raised a white brow. "Well? How often? Once a day, several times a day…?" he motioned me to go on.

Ukeire simply looked at me. "Sakura, just tell him. You can trust him, he's a doctor! He can help you…"

I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. She put a hand on my shoulder to comfort me, and for a second… her black eyes turned into white, and black hair with a dyed streak morphed into a blueberry color. Her words were gentle, and soft, creamy pale complexion matching it. My mouth went into a small circle, and I whispered, "Hinata chan…" a tear rolled down my face. "Hinata!" I wrapped my arms around her, and cried hard and loud.

"Huh?" Hinata said, stunned. I went on wailing, and she hesitantly patted my back. I took in her usual vanilla scent, and savored it. "…There, there Sakura chan. Don't cry, I'm here…" her words were soothing, and warming like they always were.

"Sakura… are you… alright?" I turned away from Hinata, and faced the place where Dr. Sarutobi was. Another face was there now, stuck in her middle school uniform like Hinata was. Her brown and black locks were tied into buns, and her hazel eyes were mature, and caring. Her hands were on mine, and her tilted head signaled concern. That aura of a mother hen surrounded me.

"Tenten!" I cried, and I hugged her too. Her backed up a bit from shock, before smoothing my hair down in her usual hug. The smell of freshly cut grass, and cotton filled my nose, and my heart felt like jumping out of my chest. Hinata and Tenten were here. They were concerned! They cared!

Finally, I felt the presence of two others. That feeling of dominance and cockiness, mixed together with a sense of caring. I looked away from Tenten, and almost tackled Ino and Karin. My very best friends, the ones I had ever since pre-school.

"Ino… Karin…" I sobbed. The two girls just stared at me, before Ino pulled me in an affectionate hug. She cried too, and rolled her fingers through me hair.

"Hey there girl. Missed you." she whispered, and cried harder. She hiccupped, and cupped my head into a tighter hug. "I'm so sorry…"

I looked at Karin, who just stood there blatantly. Her hair was uneven again, that deep shade of pink making it stand out even more than it already did. She slowly walked up to me, until we were face to face. Her black eyes bore into mine, before she broke out into tears, and gave me a hug, which I gladly returned.

She didn't say a word, but she cried. This was the Karin I remembered: sweet, generous, quiet. The others came up to me, and we had a group hug. I missed this feeling of belonging. That smell of vanilla, grass, roses, and watermelon. The sight of them waving me over, and telling me the latest gossip. I missed their voices in my head whenever they told me the craziest of news, and would swear to kami it was true, then would realize it wasn't. I missed it all. I wanted it all back. I didn't know what I did to deserve this, but I missed this feeling to the very core of my pathetic existence.

Then a vision of Ukeire flashed across my eyes. She was like this. But… she smelled like coconut and mango. She gave a feeling of home, like she felt like everyone belonged. Her voice wasn't soft, but it low for a girl's. The sight of her was like a small light in the dark.

Ukeire was different than my friends. Maybe that's why I was attracted to her. She wasn't like them. She wouldn't give me up for a boy. She wouldn't betray me, because she wasn't the same as Karin or Ino. She stayed because she wanted to be my friend.

Maybe that's why I didn't push her away when I first met her. She was annoying, but different.

But before I knew it, I felt a needle poke into my arm, and I blacked out once more.

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It was dark. Very dark. As I walked around, I heard small voices. As I kept walking, they got louder. And louder. And louder. And louder. And louder.

"…_they betrayed you…"_

"…_they abandoned you…"_

"…_they pity you…"_

"…_you're alone…"_

"…_she's going to betray you like they did…"_

"…_she's going to abandon you like they did…"_

"…_she's going to pity you like they do…"_

"…_you're going to be alone for the rest of your __**life**__…"_

I covered my ears, and shut my eyes tightly. "SHUT UP!" I began running towards whatever there was ahead of me. They got louder, and louder, and louder, and louder, and louder.

"…_**you're going to die!"**_

"…_**they're not going to care!"**_

"…_**she's going to leave you!"**_

"…_**you're a pathetic excuse for a human!"**_

"…_**just die, you worthless piece of shit!"**_

"NO! SHUT UP! I WON'T LISTEN! I KNOW THEY CARE! THEY HAVE TO! UKEIRE'S MY FRIEND! SHE WON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THEY DID!" I screamed, eyes narrowed into tiny silts, and kept running. As I kept running, the face of the boy I loved haunted my mind. He carried a broken glass bottle, and I was quivering on the ground, shaking madly.

As he neared me, I grasped my head, and my eyes turned into nothing. I hunched over, and threw up. I gasped for breath, as he neared closer, and closer. I blocked my face with my arms, and screamed.

"NO! DON'T GET ANY CLOSER! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU BASTARD!" but he raised the bottle in the air, and threw it down. My shrieks traveled from where I was in that dark place.

I saw myself, bloody, and lifeless, on the ground below. My green eyes were soulless, limbs sprawled all over. My knitted pale pink sweater and white shirt were stained with blood, my long, orange floral skirt matched it, red bleeding through the fabric.

"I remember… that bottle… Sasuke…" my hands found my face, and I screamed with horror. My vision blurred, as I fell onto wherever thing below me, fainted.

_Why do I love you so much, Sasuke?_

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…yeah, not the best, but it was long… hehehe… sorry this sounds so dark, but it will lighten up… eventually… I hope… yeah... I hope...

Review ;)

-Ukeire&Ssl-


	3. Sai?

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Even if I did, everything in this thing wouldn't exist, and I'd be making millions.

Note: See these "( )"? yea, if you've been paying attention to these things, you'd know they were the 'funny' things. Yes, stupid corny jokes are my specialty, but they're MY stupid corny jokes!

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I wanted acceptance again…

But I needed help to get myself back on my feet.

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My eyes fluttered open, slowly but surely, to the bright light above. I blinked a few times, confused to why I was here. I sat up from what I assumed was some sort of mattress, (a hard one at that) and looked around the white room.

An IV was hooked up to my left arm, thus standing on the thin metal pole to my left. Several machines were keeping track of my heart rate, along with some other things that seemed to be beeping at random. The window to my right brought light in, a night stand holding a daffodil up so it could receive it. There were several magazines on it as well, and a single 'get well' card, opened slightly, to show it was from Ukeire. A part of me was relieved that someone had actually done that for me, yet I couldn't help feeling it wasn't from the right person.

I smiled to myself, and gripped the thin cotton sheet I had as a cover. The room smelled of sanitizer and rubber gloves, heavily weighing down the fact I was still in the care of a doctor (or more, I realized to my utter horror). My body felt strangely numb, yet pained at same time, giving me a hint that someone had numbed me after apparently, and successfully, knocking me out. I bit my lower lip in fear, and shivered. Was I in a hospital?

I shook my head, seeing Sarutobi san's degree hanging on the wall.

"What a place. Has a surgery table in such a simple area of space." I said, laughing to myself.

"Hey, look who's up!" shutting the door behind her, Ukeire smiled at me. She had a daffodil in her hand, probably to replace the one on the night stand. I watched her place the old flower with the new, before she sat down in a chair to my bedside. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah…" I said hesitantly. The girl smiled, and continued talking.

"Are you sure? You went under the knife a few hours ago! Thank god I went through the trouble to setting up an early appointment, or else you'd never make it! I mean, c'mon, you look good as new, but it took four hours! FOUR. That's a lot!" she went on and on, as I just openly stared at her, and her eyes.

Those beautiful black eyes. The ones she and Sasuke kun shared. I unconsciously shivered when the name rolled off the tip of my tongue, and the dream that I had suffered in passed through my mind. The odd feeling that went up my spine and tingled throughout my body made me curl up. But strangely… I couldn't remember anything else. The dream was more of a blur, but I desperately searched my mind for the memory. Yet, that spine tingling sensation…

"…what?" I whispered just in time for Ukeire to look at me weirdly. I looked at her, and said, "Sorry. As you were saying?"

She pat me on the shoulder, and said, "You're not going nuts on me, are you?" I laughed musically, and shook my head. "Good, as I was saying, Sakura, Dr. Sarutobi was performing surgery on you, and-"

"We found that your entire body numbed itself on it's own. Like you body is accustomed to knowing nothing but pain." the said doctor came in, along with a pair of familiar amber eyes, and unfamiliar black ones. Ignoring the other two, I asked softly, "Huh? I don't understand… numbed myself?"

"It means that you're in constant pain, so your body made itself so that you're used to it." a sudden impulse made me turn my head to the voice that said the words. I felt faint as another pair of black eyes made their way into mine. That sharp, dangerous and elegant, color called black. The ones just like his.

He had his face: angular, handsome, sharp. Same color tone of the skin, the same graceful movements of the lips whenever they spoke. His eyes were just another to add to my collection of black eyed people, not saying I wanted to.

I kinda dazed out, looking into his eyes. They were, well… secured. Unlike Ukeire's or Sasuke's. There was some sort of barrier blocking me out. I knew he was hiding something behind those eyes, and I just kept staring.

"Um… Ugly? Could you stop staring at me? I know I'm good-looking and all, but you don't have to rub it in my face… or stare at my face for that matter." he said, shaking me out of my out-of-it stare. I blushed, and looked down in shame, feeling slightly insulted from the ugly comment.

**C'MON! DON'T TAKE THAT UGLY COMMENT LIKE A WIMP!** I felt my sanity slip away the second I heard that little voice in the back of head. But before I knew it, I punched the guy right across the face, listening to Ukeire laugh her head off.

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"So let me get this straight." I said, sitting at Corner or that rat hole of a café I worked at. I crossed my newly _**not**_ bruised legs, and did the same with my arms. "I just went under a four hour surgery, and it's currently 1:00 in the afternoon."

Dr. Sarutobi, who had happily joined Ukeire and me for lunch, nodded. "Yes. Free of charge." I gave him a signal of understanding. Before moving on.

"You got rid of my wounds, and my abdomen is healing fine. No physical therapy, just take it easy." I took a breath. "And you are making me go to a psychotherapist named Sai?!" I almost fell off of the cushion seat while making my point. Sai, who was also the guy I punched earlier, had a huge bruise across his face, which was making Ukeire laugh every time she looked at him.

The five of us sat at my usual seat, (the one tucked in the corner where no one could see you) drinking coffee to our hearts content. Sarutobi was smoking one of those (death) pipes, Tsunade was having coffee and (the death drink, we call) beer. Sai lit a cigarette (known as the death roll), and Ukeire used her jacket sleeve to cover her still laughing mouth and nose.

"Fucking fire sticks… why don't you just go into a burning building and smoke? Stupid addicts, and their stupid addictions…" Ukeire muttered sourly, still trying not to laugh at Sai's face, failing miserably. (a/n: No offense to those who do smoke, or have an addiction.)

"Yes. We are." Tsunade, who had come in at Sarutobi san's request, answered my question flatly. I knew that Tsunade respected her sensei, Sarutobi san, but this was not right. A therapist? One for nut cases?! I turned to Sai who was sitting there without a word, a look of disgust on his (funny) face. I stuck my tongue out.

"Well, you ain't no walk in the park either!" I said sharply, then I went back to Tsunade, and I said, "Tell me one good reason why I should attend my appointments."

"Well, you did hug a stranger. Does that count?" Sai asked, taking a sip of coffee. "This stuff sucks." I gasped, and said:

"Does not! Corner happens to have the best coffee in town! Like you should know, you've never been here!" I huffed, inwardly shocked at my new courage to talk back to someone, someone who happened to look like the boy I loved. It hit me that I had hugged a stranger (a cute stranger at that, despite the bulging purple lump on his face).

My eyes precipitously went downcast with a small amount of anger, mixed well with my own disappointment. Sudden emotions filled me, as I realized I was delusional when I had saw Hinata, Tenten, Ino, and Karin. The thought of me missing them that much, enough to imagine them as others, made me shiver with fear. Maybe I **was** going nuts. _Very_ nuts. So nuts that… I saw something only I could see. Something out of my dreams, hopes, and imagination.

Tsunade saw my immediate aura of pain. She placed a hand on my shoulder, before saying softly, "I'm sorry Sakura. I never thought, out of all the years I was your doctor, would I have to send you to Sai. I practically raised you, and you have no idea how much it pains me to send you to him."

"So they still don't care…" I began tearing, a drop of salt water tears falling into my coffee. The table went silent.

Jazz music played quietly from the stereo system, leaving others in the dim candle lighting in complete silence, the sounds of typing roaming around. My hands rested on my lap.

The silence only proved my point: I was going crazy. And I didn't even know. Was my longing to feel belonged that bad? So bad that I had to go to this jerk? I made a fist. It didn't make sense! Why me?

Why? Sai looks just like Sasuke, how is _that_ gonna help? Not to mention how Sai is an emotionless doctor who can give a shit about my personal life, and just wants the pay?! Why do I have to go to therapy when I feel perfectly fine? I'm not suicidal, I never had the urge to kill someone. I never smoked a day in my life, never touched an alcoholic drink, hate gambling, so what in the world did I do wrong?

I bit my lip, my fists curling even tighter than before. If you asked _**me**_, it was everyone else's fault, not mine! They made me this way! My father for marrying a bitch, my ex-best friends for leaving me for a bunch of boys, who, for some unknown reason, hate me, and bully me, and-and…and…

I palms bled. I released my grip on myself, as realization struck me once more. It wasn't because I was nuts that I was going to therapy…

It was because I was depressed… and deprived of what I really wanted… and needed.

Numb. That's exactly how I felt. I felt nothing, yet the tinge of regret made sure I couldn't forget. My hand hurts so bad, but my heart hides it all. Only physical pain gets through, never emotional. I never cry. I never get angry enough to do something rash. I never really smile or laugh. It's all fake. I'm still scared of being hurt. I'm numb. I'm so numb…

Truly, truly, numb.

"Sai san…" I whispered, breaking the silence. He looked at me, puffing out a bit of smoke into rings in Ukeire face. She almost attacked him, but spared his head out of shock when I spoke again.

"You specialize in depression, don't you?" I asked with my bangs covering my eyes. I squeezed my already hurting hands. The 27 year old man just nodded, then put out the death roll.

"Of course." Sai eyed me with intertwined hands in front of his mouth. His emotionless eyes and expression were blank. Sarutobi simply coughed to get my attention.

"Sakura san, as you know, I knew your sisters very well. Almost called them my own." he said, and he looked at me with a prideful gleam in his old eyes. "I can't believe how much you look like them when they were younger. So much like them." I gaped. My previous feelings faded, before being replaced with shock and… pride?

"Me…? Like my sisters?" I pointed to myself, letting my mouth hang open dumbly. He nodded, and Tsunade laughed. Her rich (and drunk) laughter filled the dimly lit café, as she patted my head.

"Oh yeah, I remember. That's when you decided to get a dermatologist degree." she nodded, and smiled. "And yes, Sakura. You do look like them when they were younger: sweet, innocent, fragile." she sat back, as she hummed. "I don't know what got into their heads. Suddenly the two just pack up, and move to Tokyo, without even a goodbye…" she said solemnly, a soft expression blessing her face.

I nodded accordingly, remember that day all too well. I scowled, realizing they didn't even tell someone so close that they were leaving. My facial expression went from a scowl, to a complete look of anger, distrust, disgust, and regret.

Natsumi, a 23 year old, with purple, almost burgundy-red, tresses, and the most beautiful color of sea green you'll ever see. She was an early bloomer, much like most of my family, with perfect grades, an awesome personality, and an absolute soccer fan. Goes to every game she can, wearing her old high school uniform (which fits with plenty of room to grow…) to almost all of the international games Japan plays in. (Even had signs made for when 'Japan defeats Brazil,' or vice versa, to hold up) She plays the game like a champ, even was offered a spot at least several times from a couple dozen teams in Japan.

Fujiko, on the other hand, would probably be the one Tsunade sama and Sarutobi san are talking about: there's nothing that differs from her and I. Long pink hair, deep green eyes. But, she's much taller, (being 26 and all) and her eyes have a tint of blue in them, thus, somewhat different. Plus, she's an total girly-girl. Collection of pink things, frilly jeans, bright shirts, stylish accessories, straight-from-the-magazine dresses, brand name skirts, expensive perfumes, over-stuffed, over-fluffed, stuffed animals, posters of (drool a river hot) guys, mirrors galore: you name it, she has it.

"Then me. Plain ol' me." I said quietly. I smiled softly, then looked at the rest of the people sitting on the chairs around me. "Alright. I'll go."

Tsunade smiled, and Ukeire high fived her, before holding out her hand towards Sai, and said, "Cough up the 50 bucks you promised!"

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Two days later

"Wah…" I sobbed. Ukeire didn't really seem to care though, as she dragged me across the shopping center with a grin. Her eyes gleamed at the thought of her cash, the 400 dollars she had gotten from Sai. How she was able to scare the man that bad was like something sent from God himself. It was fucking beautiful.

But this was NOT beautiful.

Far from it. It was the Nightmare Before School part two… "THE MALL!" Ukeire cheered, dropping my gray collar to throw her arms in the air. Before I could get away, she grabbed me again, and dragged me into another one of horrid nightmares… LeForet Harajuku (A/N: Real place on the shopping street, Harajuku in Japan… yeah, I went researching. I'm such a good author).

"Oh crud…" I whined. "Not LeForet… it's a mall within a mall, for god's sake…"

It had been two days since I had went through surgery. Luckily, I felt nothing too bad, so I was all right walking around (or being dragged around). So what's the summary so far?

Simple: I went to the doctor's office with my friend, (such a new word for me) Ukeire, when I was forced to strip (ugh) so the doctor, Dr. Sarutobi, could look me over. Unfortunately, I had a very bad cut (meaning, puss, bruises, blood, the works) and I had fainted. When I woke up, I was delusional, and mistook Ukeire, Dr. Sarutobi, Tsunade (my general health doctor), and Sai (a therapist), as my old friends. Thus categorizing me as nuts. So Tsunade and Sarutobi (Ukeire won't answer the question) are making me go to appointments with the jackass named Sai. Yeah, awesome, ain't it?

Over the last two days were basically my personal hell on Earth. So far, Ukeire has:

One: Tossed out over half of my clothes from my dresser. This includes, over-sized pants sweats, sweaters, sweatshirts, baggy shirts, and over half my bras.

(Which so happens to have gone like this: "Sakura! You still wear a double A?! I don't believe it." "Well, you better believe it, cuz I am!" "…When's the last time you went to Victoria's Secret, or any bra place for that matter, to find out, Sa-ku-ra _chan_?" "Uh… never?" "…" "Stop looking at me that way, and wipe that smirk off your face!… okay, and stop 'hehehe'-ing. It's freaky." "Oh, on the contrary, my dear, it may be freaky, but it's also _**evil**_…")

And

Two: Has unofficially decreed me, under her guidance, her student. Which is why she's dragging me to this hellhole on Earth.

"All right, now, LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN!" she shouted, and off we went. Kami, save my soul…

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My name is Haruno Sakura. I am 17 years old, and I attend Konohagakure no Sato High School as a Senior. I'm relatively your basic teenage girl: cat fights, boy problems, friend problems, schoolwork, etc.

I'm also a Valid Victorian. I've never made anything less than an A-, and no less than a 4.0 on my report card. I'm the fastest kid in my class, and very well rounded in sports.

My favorite sport is tennis. Ever since I was young, I loved it. My mother was an excellent player. She was pro at it, playing professionally until my elder sister was born. Even though I was only two, I knew right away this was my game. Since then, I've traveled all over with my coach and team (who don't know I'm there either. I'm the 'star' of the team, and considered 'exclusive'. Joy), earning trophies from places as far as the U.S. Open. (A/n: It just means she's really good) They just collect dust in my closet.

I come from a rich family. Haruno Inc. specializes in toys and child attire, mainly video games, and high end designs. My father, Haruno Fuyame, and my deceased mother, Akino, have three children in all, including me, and my two elder sisters: Haruno Natsumi, and Haruno Fujiko.

(A/n: To tell the truth, when I first came up with the name Natsumi, I actually named her after a really nice girl at my school. Then I found out it meant 'Summer Fruit', and here I am gaping at the computer screen /drools/. Hey, I'm just finding this out! It fits with the name Sakura so perfectly, it HURTS! Then Fujiko, or 'Wisteria Child', I made when I created **Speak for Her**. Ah, another one of my researching extravaganzas. I recently made Fuyame -Winter Sprout- and Akino -Autumn Field-, so… yeah. Haruno -Spring Field- family for ya.)

I love my sisters. They may not love back, or they just don't show it, but I do anyway. They're very beautiful people. Or should I say, they're _perfect_ people. Both of them. I'm constantly over-shadowed. I know they don't mean to, and they often forget who I am, (if it weren't for my resemblance to Fujiko, they'd forget me completely!) and the occasional five month late birthday present, but I do know they pity me. But I do not care. I still love them.

Any who, my father is getting married to a… very nice lady (bitch). My dad tends to trust too easily, and let that (bitch) lady into our family. She only wants his money, and I know it. Besides from the looks she gives me, she's been cutting my monthly checks (the ones I use to _survive_) are being reduced to almost nothing. I work at a café called, Corner, at minimum wage, where my father could have enough money for several lifetimes, and then some.

Then came my friends. Oh, you have no idea how close I was to fully opening up to them. So close. I would've shown them EVERYTHING: my trophies, my family, my secrets, my world. Everything. But, being called my 'Best friends forever', they didn't go for it. Instead, they betrayed me, and left me alone. For a bunch of boys of all things. Their 'boyfriends'. Amongst them, being my crush of 12 years. Despite the fact they bully me, I… Still love him.

I still love Uchiha Sasuke.

His height, his weight, his voice, his past, his future, his hair, his walk, his clothes, his emotionless expressions…

His dark, dark eyes.

(The ones that I could drown in forever. They seem so lost, so confused, that they can give off the impression of angry. I know they're not, because I've seen the same eyes in myself.)

I truly, truly… love those eyes.

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**I'm so happy, oh so Happy,**

**I've been happy, yet crappy, all DAY!**

**This sounds sappy,**

**Yet I wouldn't have any other way.**

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**-Yeah, this song (to the beat of the song, 'I'm So Pretty'), is basically what I'm feeling right now. Happy, yet crappy. Oh well, sorry about the last part of this thing, yet I had to fill in a few more pages some how:( **

**-Anyway, I'm going to skip to the second day of school after this. You'll see what happens.**

**-I really did just learn that Natsumi means Summer Fruit. I swear to the carpet underneath me! I seriously named her after a nice girl at my school, so, like, yeah…**

**-REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! THEY KEEP ME ALIVE! GRAH! I'M FREAKING IN DESPERATE NEED OF THEM! REVIEWS!**

**-Please.**

**-Ukeire&Ssl-**


	4. School?

Disclaimer: Don't own them. If I did, I'd try dominating the world with Anime conventions, and rally up an army to conquer the world.

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So when Ukeire came to me,

I thought nothing could be better

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Tuesday, March 15

I sighed to myself, staring at my watch. Ukeire said she would call me before I got to school, but I guess that would be a lie. I stood at the door of my apartment, and took out my key. Locking it, I walked down the hallway. I entered the elevator, and I seriously wanted to bang my head onto the wall. I didn't but you know what I mean. I got out of the elevator, and out the door.

As I checked everything I needed in my messenger bag off, in my mind, (pencils? Check. Calculator? Check. Notebooks? Check. Lunch? Check. Books? Check. Makeup that I won't wear, but I'm bringing it anyway? Check. Brush? Check. Tennis ball, and racquet, that I can hit people with? Double check. Everything else in my house? Check.) I felt my cell phone ring.

_If I told you, would you listen, would've you stayed? Would've been here, forever? Never gone away- _(A/n: I **think** this are the lyrics to Bittersweet by Within Temptation.)

I quickly picked up my phone, rushing out into my apartment's parking structure. As I crossed the street in my brand new senior uniform, I heard it: "WHOA! What a cute babe!" And I've never been so flattered, and insulted at the same time, in my life.

I came to a stop, and faced the tanned, bleached out blonde surfer boy with a glare. "What did you say, hobo?" I said slowly. Forgetting my phone in my hand, I walked up to the guy, and smiled sweetly. "Well?" he smirked at me.

"You're cute when you're angry. How about you and I go for a drink?" he said. I mentally made a note that he had the worse bedroom eyes. After establishing that in my mind, I curled my fingers into a white-knuckled fist, and slammed him with all I had.

**OH MY GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT! I MEAN, WE'RE CUTE AND ALL, BUT STILL!** I nodded with myself, my inner voice ranting about how he had such a nerve, and a big head. The guy twirled to the ground, a few teeth missing from his jaw, and I walked away. I shut my phone with a single angry whap.

_Still,_ I shot a glance behind me, _he said I was cute…_ I flushed. Speed walking into the parking structure, and swiftly into my car, I grabbed the pillow I stashed in the back seat, shoved my face in it, and screamed. Removing my face, I blushed again. A guy thought I was cute. A guy. A male. A boy. A man. A sperm producing sex. My face went hot, as I lowered my Honda's mirror, to look at myself.

Okay, so maybe I did like the way the senior uniform looked. It was sailor styled, with a red and black color base, with a tie with the letters, 'KH' intertwined to make my high school's logo. An ordinary skirt (hiked up a little too high, but I can blame Ukeire for that), and a too-tight shirt was basically it though.

("Ukeire! I said I wanted a LARGE! Not a SMALL!" "So? You look like a small to me! You think everything below a large is too tight!" "So?! I'm a large, with an 36A! And it's true!" "No you're not! The lady at Victoria's Secret said you're a 36C! Besides, you're tiny! You, and your dainty little feet!" "Oh, be quiet! Why did I let you buy my uniform?!" "Because I'm f-cking sexy like that!" "…" "Yeah, you know it." "Just be quiet… ugh, I got a damn headache now…" "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: COMPLETED!")

I sighed again, and shoved the car's key into the ignition, and drove out. The blush lingered all the way until I got to school. There, it got even worse.

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"/Cat whistle/ Is she new?"

"Me-ow, I want some of that."

"Dude, she's fucking HOT."

"She has pink hair…"

"Totally looks good on her."

"Doesn't someone else have pink hair at this school?"

"No way! We'd SO notice it!"

"True. Man, I'm jealous."

"Me too. Her eyes are gorgeous!"

"Are they contacts?"

"No, they can't be! They look so natural!"

"She's so pretty…"

"…not to mention hot. _Growl_!"

_Oh my god…_ I walked through the hallways, feeling every single gaze on me. Feeling self-conscious, I dusted my (extremely short) skirt off, and pulled at my (overly tight) shirt. I smoothed down my hair, and went off looking for my locker.

_I can't believe this…_ I thought frantically. _I'm suddenly getting all this attention…_ I rounded the corner, and flushed some more._ It kinda feels… good._

I tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear, revealing my newly pierced ears. My face burned a hole through the air when a couple of boys walked by. Two of them smirked, and another walked right into the pole. He fell down with a grunt, and I giggled slightly before rushing to help him up. When I saw his face, I asked, "Lee san? Are you alright?"

Catching his eyes, he looked at me with his bug eyes, and- **Oh my good lord! My eyes! MY BEAUTIFUL EYES!-** … yeah, anyway, his somewhat bushy eyebrows -**ARE YOU NUTS?! BUSHY DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT!** …were up in surprise.

Rock Lee is his name. He's a really nice guy, really he is, but his sense of style… is kinda out of whack. And I mean, REALLY out of whack. Who wears green_**spandex**_ underneath a **uniform** _all_ _year_ _**round**_? Well… two. His hero, Maito Gai (AKA Might Guy), wears the exact same thing (spandex, bowl cut, really fuzzy eye brows… green) underneath a teacher uniform.

"Why thank you, blossom." Lee said, then looked at me with odd eyes, "Hm… I'm not sure who you are. Have we met before?"

I twitched. My inner self fumed even worse. **THE HELL?! I WAS YOUR SCIENCE TUTOR ALL LAST YEAR, YOU DIMWIT!**

Lee san was a nice boy, even though he was a year older than me. He graduated as of last year. He was the captain of the track team, and spirit coordinator on the student council (for reasons beyond me for how 98 of the student body voted for him). Despite all of this, he was failing in Biology. And guess who was in advance Science at the time. Yeah, of course, me. So I tutored him for all of last year, and not a single word except for, 'Yeah.' or 'Huh?', or 'Thanks'. I think he's here as a teacherette (student teacher), probably for Gai sensei.

"Um… no, we haven't." I looked him in the eyes. I stuck my hand out, "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"And I am Rock Lee! I'm here as a Student Teacher for the all-youthful, most FABULOUSLY DRESSED," insert tears, "GAI SENSEI!"

"DID SOMEBODY CALL MY NAME?!"

_Oh, fuck._ I thought, as a blur of green and orange, and black, and red, and **bowl cuts**, came from the sky. I looked up, and saw a broken skylight. _Oh my…_

"GAI SENSEI!" Lee cried, his hands brought together into a form of admiration to the right side of face. "LEE!" Gai sensei threw his arms out. Lee ran into them as a 'manly' hug.

"Hehehe…" I laughed sheepishly, putting some of things in my locker. I thought it was cute Lee and Gai did that, but it was also… kinda creepy. I slowly made my way farther from the hugging twosome, my face towards them, my body going the opposite direction. **My eyes… my perfect. GREEN. EYES! Omg! My eyes!**

"What you said…" I whispered to myself. Right as I was about to turn around, I bumped into something. Hard. I fell on my butt with a thud.

"Troublesome… a new girl…" I heard a quiet, yet low, voice. I looked up, and froze. _No… not this early… _

It was Shikamaru. THE Shikamaru. Ino's boyfriend. That Shikamaru. The one who bullied me to no end. My eyes narrowed in fear, as I stared up at him.

He was handsome boy, I had to admit. But he was more of an ordinary handsome, rather than the cool handsome, or the mature handsome, Sa- I mean, _Uchiha san_, and _Hyuuga san_ were. His pale peach skin was flawless, and his black hair was nicely kept, swung back into a spiky ponytail. Pointed eye structure, and his height also added to his charming side. I had also heard he's an extremely intellectual type of guy. He plays Shougi, and Go, and has even played in the National Championships.

My eyes sudden calmed down as I went through the many facts I knew about him in my mind. I heard a sigh, then my eyes centered onto his hand right in front of me. I sent him a questioning look from my position.

"Need help?" he said plainly. I snapped back into the situation, and ignored his hand, then got up myself.

"Uh… no thanks. I'm fine. Sorry." I said in a hurry. He did nothing, but he did eye me like I was nuts. I gathered myself up, and ran off.

"H-Hey! Wait!" he said in a slightly raised voice. I ignored the call, and kept running. He shouldn't have seen me. He's gonna tell the others. He's gonna tell them. They're gonna hurt me again. No. I won't let that happen. Clack. Skid. I ran faster, hoping I didn't drop anything.

I went through a week of transformation to get away. I'm going to a psychotherapist named Sai because of him, his friends, and his girlfriend. I was already hurt once…

Why me?

* * *

Shikamaru bent down, and picked up the black MOTOKRZR. He fingered it, and the thought, _This is an expensive one…_ came up. He realized the girl was running away, and he tried to call for her, but she didn't listen. 

He stared at the phone. Slowly, he pocketed it, and said to himself, "Troublesome…"

A girl, one he had never met in his life, had dropped her cell phone, and had to run away from him. And his gentlemanly pride wouldn't let him keep the phone, and his genius mind wouldn't rest until he knew her name.

* * *

"Ah, ah, ah…" I panted. I leaned up against the locker, and slowly breathed, in and out. 

Shikamaru was going to tell his friends about me. My new look. My new clothes. My being here. He'll say I don't have glasses anymore. They're going to hunt me down. Oh no…

Sasuke's gonna see me. He's gonna see me. No, he can't! I won't let him! I want to go home! I quickly went for my pocket where I has slipped my phone into. Shock went through my mind when I felt it wasn't there.

"My phone… where's my phone?" I patted myself, looking for it. "No…" I whispered. **You dropped it…** my inner self said. **We dropped it… in front of…**

… _in front of…_ I thought in a panic, as I sunk onto the floor, a hand on my over-sized forehead. I ran it through my pink locks, as my two minds thought:

_**Shikamaru.

* * *

**_

Shikamaru walked through the hallways, his hands in his pockets. As he strolled, he touched the phone again. He was curious now. Who was that girl? Was she new, or had he just never seen her before? No, that wasn't possible. He memorized every person at this high school, and not once, didn't he know a name. From the geeks, to the jocks, he knew them all. 

The girl had pink hair, and extremely bright green eyes. Pretty, really. Very exotic. Maybe she was a foreigner? Yeah, that had to be it. He had never seen anyone with pink hair, and green eyes.

But… the only other place he had seen green eyes at this high school was… he shook his head. It couldn't have been her. No, didn't that girl wear baggy clothes? Yeah, she did.

But deep inside, he knew he was just making excuses. That's when the bell rang. He whipped out his schedule, and headed off for his first period: Advanced Calculus. Oh the joy of life, and numbers. Shikamaru smirked, and walked off.

* * *

A day at Konohagakure High School was like any other high school. You got two breaks (a 30 minute one in-between third and fourth, and lunch -which is an hour- between sixth and seventh), and you had a total of eight periods. Every period was about 50 minutes long, but the highlight of every day was study hall. Yes, that's right. 

Study hall was the main thing of everyday. Why? Because they were fun. The best (funny) teachers were hired specifically for these jobs. From a class for sleeping, to a class to learn about slots, it was a special class for everyone.

I sighed. Then there was me. I stared at my schedule one more time, eying the very last class on my agenda. To make things worse, it was my homeroom too…

"Art class?" I asked myself. I don't remember that listed on the elective paper. From what I can remember, I chose Photography as my class. I sighed again, and made my way through the halls. The class was in Room 13. Just my luck, it had to be a cursed number, and it was way on the other side of campus.

Our school is pretty old, maybe 70 years old, or so we're constantly renovating to keep it safe (or enough so that it looks safe). No one knows, but this one particular room never gets touched. It's as old as the school, (smells like it too) and rarely anyone uses it. Some say… it was haunted by the first principle's ghost, who also used to teach in that very room.

I shivered. Great. My homeroom was a haunted piece of junk. And this was supposed to be the greatest year of high school?

Well, it was definitely my luckiest. Not ONCE did any of the 'Populars' (aka, Ex-Best friends, and their Bfs) see me (I dodged them) in my classes, break, or lunch. Some times my luck just hated me, and would go right when I wanted it to go left. But I guess today was my lucky day.

I groaned this time, and stood still for a second. Besides being old, it was also very dysfunctional. Who would place a school on a hill, then have one single room at the bottom, hidden by trees? Apparently mine did.

Konoha was known for it's lush trees, and beautiful scenery. Including grass, flowers, and _hills_. Yes, the fabulous thing known as a hill. A steep one at that… with no way to get down without being late, or avoiding getting dirty… but… I looked around to see if anyone was watching. Seeing no one, I took a step back, before leaping into the air, and landing perfectly on the soil (also known as dead grass, weeds, or I'm-still-here-but-barely grass).

Room 13. It stood silently beneath the shade of the much larger trees. Light bled through the branches, and lit up the soil (or whatever I listed above), and what looked like wood chips. The building itself was older looking: it was shaped like any other class, but the mammoth windows were covered by window shields (which were rusty from age), and the door was behind a screen.

I slowly walked towards the old structure with fascination. It looked… pretty. How could it be haunted?

Once the door handle was in my reach, I quietly took a hold of it. It was slightly warm, meaning someone was already inside, and had only been in there for maybe a minute or so. After this resolution, I opened the door.

* * *

The door opened. The teen's head swiveled towards the entryway, awaiting who else was joining this hell. I gagged inwardly. It was going to be a nerd. I'm always stuck with the nerds. Or at least with someone horrible. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see them any time soon. 

"Oh… wow…" someone whispered.

I cracked an eye open slightly. My eyelashes blocked a few inanimate objects from sight, but I didn't care. I switched over to the figure at the door. And for a moment, I felt like taking another second to close my eyes, and open them again.

Petite. She was small, yet tall enough to reach my chin.

Red. The apple for her cheeks were a natural flush of red.

Peach. Her lips were a delicate color of peach, with a plump lower lip.

Cream. A complexion of pale cream colored skin, with absolutely no flaws.

Pink. A long, soft-looking head of pale pink.

When his eyes hit her eyes, he stared.

They were green. Emerald green. Viridian green. Jade green. GREEN. That deep, shadowed, yet, happy, and filled with light, GREEN. They were solid, freakish, and breath-taking. A beautiful, beautiful, shade of green.

Though he was amazed, he couldn't help but feel that gut feeling he had seen those gorgeous eyes before. He felt as if he knew them very well…

* * *

I looked at all of them. My eyes looked at every single one in the eye, trying to read them, as I tried to fight my horror. 

They were all here. The Populars. They were all sitting in the same class. And I had it with them.

* * *

"…Aw fuck." Ukeire slapped her forehead, running. Her bags bobbed up and down in a rush as she ran even faster when she heard the bell ring. A badge glistened, a picture of her on it. 

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" she cursed to herself, as she went through the halls, and towards the room. She jumped off the hill, and towards the room. When she touched the door, she swung it open, and jumped in. "I'M NOT LATE!" Everyone practically screamed. Or maybe it was just Sakura, who was standing in the doorway… her face glaring at her. That when Ukeire realized she was sitting on the girl. "Oh… sorry."

As she got up, Sakura hissed, "What are you doing here, Ukeire?" the said girl smiled, and waved her off.

"Take a seat first, young lady!" she pushed her towards the closest seat next to a pleasantly cold looking guy who looked like he needed some pink in his life. Sakura just froze, as she let the girl push her.

After a second of trying to regain herself, Sakura asked in a whisper, "Ukeire. Answer me!" Ukeire winked, and whispered back, "You'll see."

Sakura hmph'ed. The boy next to her did nothing, except stare off into space. His girlfriend began ranting when Ukeire began putting her things on the teacher's desk.

"Hey! You're not supposed to put your things there! That meant for the teacher!" she said, sounding more snobby than she might have known. Ukeire shrugged.

"So?" she looked at the boy's girlfriend. "The teacher won't care." the other girl was about to object when Ukeire added something, an evil glint her eye. She smiled at the girl, and said something no wanted (and no one really expected of an 17 year old)...

"Who says _**I'm**_ not the teacher?"

* * *

**Oh yes. Ukeire IS the teacher o.o**

**Or is she?**

**Lol.**

**And sorry about the 'He-She' thing, but I want to keep that for the next chapter :P**

**Oh well. Review after you've enjoyed the goodness :D**

**REVIEW.**

**-Ukeire&Ssl-**


	5. Worship

A/N

**R**_**E**_**A**DA**T L****E****A**_S_**T THE L**_**A**_**S****T **_**(**_five_**)**__**SENTENCES**_**.**

* * *

YES PEOPLE, THANK THE HEAVENS, IT'S MY FIRST TIME WRITING AN AUTHORESS NOTE BY ACTUALLY SUBMITTING A CHAPTER…(S)

Anyway, as you all should know, or didn't know until now, I haven't been updating/submitting recently (that's the understatement of the summer. More like four months and six days, or so). And here's my excuse:

I HAVE NONE. SUE ME NOW, OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE/GRUDGE.

It's true, I have absolutely nothing for you, my beloved readers. I do have a bunch of ¾ written documents for you, but who the hell wants that? Oh wait. I lie. I do have an excuse -cries- .

Anyway, as the few of you whom I told this particular pitiful story to know, I did have most of my stories planned… on sticky notes and scraps of paper scattered all over my desk. So the one day my house cleaner comes, I forget to put the precious plans away in a safe place. Whoops. In the trash they went. You have no idea how many times I banged my head on the previously mentioned desk (a lot, let's just put it that way).

So then I tried remembering what I wanted to write and just winged it. After a while, that didn't work. So now here I am, with a bunch of ¾ written documents, and a goldfish memory. I seriously have tried everything; but the chapters look like crap. And I know this is a really bad excuse, and I may have lied to some of you because I was embarrassed of the reason.

I owe all of you an apology. Especially to the ones I made promises to and broke them. A special apology goes to Zanibarr for waiting on me to post on Speak For Her; which I miraculously found the plans for behind my desk (after typing ¾ of it up, I had to start over). The wonderful Zanibarr has generously submitted a side story for Speak For Her, which I will get the link for on my profile. Albeit I am currently typing Speak For Her, the rest of you are going to have considered the stories on hiatus. A LONG ONE. I hope all of you can forgive me.

-Stories (exception of Speak For Her) are on Hiatus.  
-Worship Zanibarr as you read her Speak For Her side story.  
-Please accept apology from, and forgive, Ukeire

-Goldfish have the memory of about three seconds. So does Ukeire.

-End


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